What to Knit
Cut No. 7 illustrates plain knitting. This is the stitch generally used in ordinary knitting. First, cast on the required number of stitches in one of the ways already described. This done, take in the left hand the needle on which are the loops, place the thread over the first finger of the left hand, hold it with the second finger of the same hand. Take the second needle with the right hand, insert its point into the stitch, in an upward direction, and throw the thread around the right hand needle, from right to left. Draw it through the preceding loop and slip the left hand needle from its loop. Every loop on the left hand needle is worked in the same manner.
When all the stitches have been worked from the left hand needle, take that needle in the right hand and continue to work in same manner.
To Pearl, Purl or Seam, (meaning the same thing), is done by holding with the left hand a needle on which a row of stitches has been cast. Take a needle in the right hand, place the cotton over the left hand needle and the first finger of the left hand, hold the end with the second finger of the same hand. Insert the right hand needle through the loop on the left hand needle, point right to left, in such a manner as to have the cotton just under the right hand needle. Pull this cotton through the loop, withdraw the left hand needle from the loop, and the purled stitch is formed.
How to Repair a Stitch which has been Half Knitted, or Dropped while Knitting.—In knitting, one ought to be careful not to drop stitches or to form half stitches. The latter happens when the thread thrown over the right hand needle has not been pulled through the loop of the left hand needle. To remedy this, while working the next round or row, take the thread which has been thrown over the needle from it, and pull it through the loop of the stitch. To repair a dropped stitch, insert the left needle into the stitch, gather all the threads on the right hand needle and pull them through the loop of the stitch, one after the other.
To Increase.—There are two ways to increase. The first is, to knit both in the lower part of the stitch and also in the stitch itself. The second way is to bring the cotton forward round the end of the right needle, to the front; this forms a loop on the right needle when the next stitch is knitted, and this extra loop is the made stitch. It is preferable to increase after the first manner in plain knitting, as this way of increasing is not so marked. The second manner is used in fancy knitting, as it leaves a little opening after the stitch is formed.
To Slip a Stitch is to take a stitch off the left needle and to slip it on to the right needle without knitting.
With any work knitted in rows, it is necessary that the first stitch of every row be worked as a slipped stitch. If it is a row of purl, the first stitch must be slipped off as if it were plain knitting; if it is a row of plain knitting, slip the first stitch off as if it were purl knitting.
How to Narrow.—The usual way of narrowing is to knit two stitches together, viz.: put the right needle through two of the loops on the left needle, and knit them as one stitch. Another method is to slip a stitch, knit one, and then with the left needle cast the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch. When the narrowing is used to give a certain shape to the work, it is well to employ the first method when narrowing at the end of the round or row; and the second method when narrowing at the beginning of it.
Casting Off is done as follows: Knit two plain stitches, with the left needle throw the first stitch over the second, knit a third stitch, throw the second over the third, knit a fourth, throw the third over the fourth, and so on until the last stitch is worked. Pull the cotton through, and a knot is formed.
The Joining of Ends in knitting ought never to be done by knotting them together. It may be done so that no defect is visible on the right side of the work, by lapping them three inches together, and knitting five inches with doubled thread, leaving the ends on the wrong side of the work. These ends can then be neatly darned into the wrong side of the work.